Development of MOST for Real-Time Tsunami Forecasting

Abstract

The development, testing, and implementation of a real-time tsunami forecast model, the method of splitting tsunami (MOST), is described. MOST is now used as an operational forecast model for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Tsunami Warning System, and as a tsunami hazard assessment tool in the United States and in many countries around the world. Every step in the development of MOST marked new scientific challenges, improvements of technological and computational capabilities, and new demands of the engineering and hazard mitigation communities for applied and benchmark modeling tools for tsunami hazard assessment.